Cardinal
Keith O’Brien has sparked further outrage after slamming same-sex marriage, saying the government would be ‘shaming the country’ by legalising it.

The head of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland described gay union as an ‘aberration’ and said that the term marriage cannot be redefined.

Cardinal Keith O’Brien has hit out against plans to legalise gay marriage

Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, the holy man compared the legislation to the legalisation of abortion in 1967.

He said: ‘The same would happen if same sex unions were defined as marriages, further aberrations would be taking place and society would be degenerated further than it has already degenerated into immorality.’

When questioned about the numerous nations that have already given their blessing to gay marriage, Cardinal O’Brien said they are ‘shaming themselves’ and violating human rights.

‘I do not accept the fact that one can re-define the word ‘marriage’ to mean something that it has never meant before,’ he commented.

‘It is quite simply natural for a man and a woman to be together for the procreation and education of children and for their own mutual love.’

Outraged listeners took to Twitter to air their views on the controversial comments, with one writing: ‘Things That Are Grotesque: Cardinal Keith O’Brien. Things That Are Not Grotesque: People who love each other getting married.’

Another tweeted: ‘Cardinal Keith O’Brien certainly sounds a bundle of fun. I bet he’d enjoy a good witch-burning too.’

Meanwhile TV personality Julian Clary commented: ‘Listening to Cardinal Keith is a nauseating way to start the week. I now have to play Mad About the Boy very loudly.’